Boxing: Positive Test Nixes Alexander Povetkin-Deontay Wilder Showdown in Moscow

The performance-enhancing drug Meldonium was introduced to the American lexicon of PEDs when it was reported that Alexander Povetkin had tested positive for the banned substance in April. The positive test has now resulted in the cancellation of Povetkin’s scheduled fight with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on May 21 in Moscow. Though not known here in the United States, Meldonium seems to be quite popular among Russian athletes. Tennis star Maria Sharapova admitted in March that she tested positive for the drug, and a number of other Russian combat-sport athletes, like Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Islam Makhachev, have tested positive for Meldonium. The World Anti-Doping Agency placed Meldonium on the banned list in September and placed it on the prohibited list on Jan. 1, “because of evidence of its use by athletes with the intention of enhancing performance.” Meldonium is defined as an anti-ischemic drug used to treat blood flow. It is not approved in the United States, though it is apparently very popular — and available — in Russian, Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The drug is designed to improve a patient’s exercise capacity. Andrei Ryabinsky, Povetkin’s promoter was quoted admitting that Povetkin took Meldonium last year, but claimed he stopped before …

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